The Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G processor is coming in the second half of 2021, and like last year’s Snapdragon 765G, it will bring some flagship-class features to mid-range smartphones.
Among other things, the Snapdragon 780G has the same image signal processor, AI engine, and wireless capabilities as the Snapdragon 888 processor.
Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 780G processor is an 5nm octa-core chip with Kryo 670 CPU cores that will offer up to a 40-percent boost in performance over last year’s processor. It also has Adreno 642 graphics, for up to 50 percent faster graphics performance.
It has a 6th-gen Qualcomm AI Engine with a Hexagon 770 processor for up to 12 TOPS of AI performance, a 2nd-gen Qualcomm Sensing Hub and a triple Spectra 570 image signal processor that can process up to three 25MP images at once (or a single 192MP image), offer better low-light photography, and support HDR+ video capture and 10-bit HDR HEIF photo capture.
Qualcomm has also included a Snapdragon X53 5G modem and FastConnect 6900 wireless system with support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
The new chip can also support phones with up to 16GB of LPDDR4 memory, FHD+ displays with 144 Hz refresh rates, USB 3.1 Type-C ports, and Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ fast charging.
Qualcomm says the new chip will be available in the second half of 2021, and while the chip maker hasn’t announced any phones that will ship with the processor yet, it’s worth keeping in mind that Google chose the Snapdragon 765G rather than a pricier Snapdragon 865 processor when it launched the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 last year.